1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to firearms and more particularly to firearm receivers with ambidextrous controls.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern warfare individual infantry men still play a significant role in military operations. An individual soldier's effectiveness depends, to a large extent, on the speed at which the individual solider can manipulate the controls of the issued firearm. As such, ergonomic and ambidextrously designed controls can be critical. Various situations arise which require an infantry man to operate the bolt catch of a firearm.
A soldier's ability to provide a high rate of accurate fire on target is critical on the modern battle field. Detachable box magazines are the most common ammunition feeding device used with modern firearm designs. Examples of this are found in the M16 series of firearms, German G3 and the Belgian FAL. Designs such as the M16 and FAL have a mechanism which interacts with the follower of the detachable magazine causing the bolt carrier group to be locked to the rear when the magazine is empty. Additionally, all of the aforementioned designs incorporate a mechanism by which the bolt carrier group might be manually locked to the rear.
In the prior art there are bolt release mechanisms for the M16 family of firearms which can be operated with either hand. These mechanisms use a standard left side control lever which is in operational contact with the bolt carrier group. However, no mechanism is provided on the right side of the receiver for the user to retain and release the bolt carrier group from the locked-back position. In consideration of this fact alone these mechanisms cannot be considered truly ambidextrous.
Locking the bolt carrier group in its rearward position allows the user to look into the ejection port of the firearm and inspect the chamber for a live round or to clear an operational malfunction. Once a loaded magazine is inserted into the receiver, or a malfunction is cleared, the user needs an efficient means for releasing the bolt carrier group from the locked-back position.
Unfortunately the various mechanisms used, for example in the M16 family of firearms, to secure the bolt carrier group in the open, or locked-back, position are primarily designed for right-handed shooters. While a left-handed shooter can operate the mechanism, the procedure is often slower and requires the use of a certain amount of the user's concentration to look at the firearm. While the time required may be less than a second, an enemy action may occur during a critical time, thereby dangerously distracting the shooter.
Another relevant situation occurs often in urban conflict. When soldiers find themselves in a situation that requires target engagement around corners or in tight confines, it often becomes necessary to operate the weapon with the “weak hand” or the hand with which the shooter typically does not perform fine motor functions. In this situation, a right-handed shooter is often required, for safety, to use the weapon with the left hand or vise-versa. It is therefore desired to provide a way to improve the speed and efficiency of reloading and resuming operation of the firearm and other functions attendant to the securing and release of the firearm's bolt carrier group which is efficient for both right and left-handed users. Further, this improved function needs to operate without detracting from any other aspects of the firearm's use.
The conventional charging handle of an M16 type firearm may be used with either the left or right hand. By retracting the bolt carrier group to the rear using the handle, the operating lever of the bolt catch assembly may be depressed, thus locking the bolt to the rear. Another use of the charging handle is to release the bolt carrier group from the locked-back position. By retracting the bolt carrier group to its rearmost position, the mechanism holding the bolt can be moved out of the bolt's path to release the charging handle and allow the bolt carrier group to move into the battery position. The disadvantage of this operation is that the user is required to move out of the firing position, thereby delaying his response to an enemy action. Releasing the bolt using the operating lever of the bolt catch assembly eliminates the need to use the charging handle for this purpose, but would be awkward during left-handed operation of the firearm.
Therefore, a need exists for a device to retain and release the bolt carrier group which can be adapted to the receiver of the firearm to facilitate the true ambidextrous operation of the bolt catch assembly. This device needs to have operating levers present on both the right and left sides of the receiver. In addition, the placement of the bolt catch assembly should be both familiar to the user and not obstruct the function of the base firearm design.